Global electric vehicle production on the rise

IHS Automotive forecasts global electric vehicle production will increase 67% this year as a number of major automakers (DDAIF, BAMXY, TTM, HYMLF) enter the category (EV and plug-in hybrids) or try new markets.

Europe will account for 40% of all EV production, followed by Asia at 30% and the U.S. with 27%, according to IHS.

Three EV trends to watch: 1) Automakers (NSANY, TM, GM) needed a high level of incentives to spur electric car demand in the U.S. last year. Will 2014 be any different? 2) Demand in China for EVs could soar if the government keeps instituting mandates to lower pollution in major cities. 3) The war of words between Tesla (TSLA) and Toyota (TM) on electric batteries vs. hydrogen could intensify late in the year as the much-hyped Toyota FCV debut gets closer.

When the TESLA drivers were doing a 200 mile top up charge in thick snow the car was charging while they would presume be inside having a hot drink or a meal.You would have to stand in the snow for 16 minutes holding the hydrogen filling pump. Hydrogen cannot be made to pour as fast as gasoline it fills slow or it freezes.

I see the Toyota HFCV has "twin hydrogen tanks". Why do you think it needs two tanks? It seems rather strange.

Maybe you'll have two separate hoses to fill the tanks and that will cut down your refill time. Ultra high pressure gas does tend to cool rapidly when it expands into a lower pressure tank. The standard tanks fill to 344 atmospheres pressure - 5000 lb/sq in - so the pump pressure must be higher than that.

Plug-in hybrids do not offer the same value proposition as pure EVs. Most of these vehicles are hybrids, not true EVs. Fuel cell vehicles (FCVs) are an entirely different value proposition from the other two. They should not be conflated.

Unless Toyota announces a worldwide investment in hydrogen charging stations comparable to Tesla's supercharging stations, it's FCV is destined to be an also-ran that gets sold to a few fleet buyers that are willing to install a compressed hydrogen station of their own.

I own EV car is not convenience , also to find the charging station is not easy as of now, Either you have to pay for parking or pay for to charge. Plug in hybrid is still good for now. Like Prius or Volt.Buying a Tesla Car is very expensive $ 65000 to 100K , with only 200-285 miles per charge is still to expensive for average car buyer, Unless Tesla will be able to make lower price car with 200- 285 miles for the price of Nissan Leaf or Prius .

Um, just where do you think the electricity comes from to power the EV? The same place that Hydrogen will come from, natural gas. The argument to that is renewable sources; which is the same argument for hydrogen.

I make no claim either way to which is better, worse, or other. But the idea that FF's are going away is naive, no matter what cars run on directly in the future.

Ron, It is about minimization of fossil fuel needs. EVs attack this on multiple fronts. Hydrogen fuel cells do not. Hydrogen from natural gas still produces CO2, then there is compression and transport of the hydrogen.

FCVs are absolutely and utterly pointless. The key thing to understand here is that they need a battery ANYWAY. Repeat, FCVs have EV components, they need a battery ANYWAY!The choice will be between:LEAF-type EVFCV with LEAF-sized battery, build hydrogen stations, pay for hydrogen200-mile EVOnce battery production rises and cost falls, and 200-mile battery costs $6000 and lasts 300,000 miles, there will be NO reason to go FCV.The sad thing is, Toyota has the manufacturing capacity to build millions upon millions of these inferior FCVs. Even if the next Tesla EV is the best car in the history of mankind, they can only build so many every year..

By the time Toyota and the other HFCV manufacturers have an actual cheap, safe, working vehicle on the road, along with its filling stations, Tesla will have ramped up on the Gen 3 platform and superchargers and the whole crazy fool cell idea will be dead in the water.

You can thank Tesla for this one ... the other manufacturers are scared silly of the affect that Tesla is having upon the consciousness of people and what they are wanting and forcing them to do ... electric is "in" now, so the manufacturers are having to scramble just to pull something - anything - out of their hat as fast as they can. It will be interesting to see what happens in the future ... but in any case, it looks as if Elon has been successful in moving us into the electric age of transport, which was the reason that he started Tesla!

Surely Toyota is aware of the problems with hydrogen and has noticed Tesla's success with batteries in the here and now. Is it possible that the hydrogen balloon is a smokescreen while behind the scene they desperately try to engineer a competitive 200 mile EV?